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Cultivated Reef

Pump Blowing Bubbles and Film Algae


icecool2

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Two questions for this evening...

 

1. Why is my stock 24G NC pump blowing bubbles every few minutes? Water levels are fine.

 

2. What is this weird purplish brown film-like algae that is starting to take over my tank?

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cold there be a mini-whirlpool effect coming and going every so often in the pump chamber? i've seen this effect sometimes if the water isn't sufficiently deep on some pumps, i.e. 4"+ from intake to water's surface.

 

maybe there's an air leak/intake along the piping inducting some stray air?

 

the intermittent bubbles lead me to think the whirlpool-thingy. not sure what the hydrodynamics are involved that though. :huh:

 

the film algae you describe sounds like cyanobacteria, velvety purple? google-pic it and see if that's what you're seeing.

 

another possibility is diatoms bt that's usually brownish/golden.

 

dinoflagellates is another possibility but it's more distinctive as a brownish pearling glob of snot. hth

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Well the pump is under at least 6" of water so I can't imagine show it would pull down air from that distance. I think you might be on to something about the leak in the hose though. I'll have to check it out later.

 

After looking at some pics it's definitely cyanobacteria. I'll do a search for cleanup.

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